Tour Cedar Hills landfill, destination for King County garbage
August 30, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011
See the destination for most King County garbage up close.
The county is opening the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill between Issaquah and Maple Valley for free tours Sept. 10. Cedar Hills, the last operating landfill in the county, encompasses 920 acres and accepts about 800,000 tons of garbage each year from across King County, excluding Seattle and Milton.
The tour is designed for adults. Call 206-296-4490 to organize tours for school-aged children and school groups.
The tour starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about one hour. The tour requires reservations. Reserve a spot by Sept. 6 by calling 206-296-4490, TTY Relay: 711.
Practice fire safety on public lands during Labor Day weekend
August 30, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011
State Department of Natural Resources leaders urge campers, recreationists, woods workers and other forest visitors to practice fire safety during Labor Day weekend.
The agency has a burn ban in place until Sept. 30 for 12.7 million acres, including Tiger Mountain State Forest near Issaquah. Under the ban, campfires may be allowed, but only in approved fire pits in designated campgrounds. Moreover, campers cannot build fire pits.
“Eighty-five percent of Washington’s wildfires are human-caused,” state Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark said. “Please help us stop wildfires before they start.”
In addition, local restrictions on campfires might be in place, so people should check before leaving home to go camping or hiking.
County Small Business Award finalists include Issaquah entrepreneurs
August 30, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011
The finalists for the inaugural King County Executive’s Small Business Awards include Issaquah enterprises, TransNET Inc. and Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in.
King County Executive Dow Constantine — along sponsors Microsoft, KeyBank, enterpriseSeattle, Small Business Partners for Prosperity and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County — named 21 finalists in seven categories Monday.
TransNET Inc., a logistics provider, is nominated in the Exporting Small Business of the Year category. The award recognizes a small business for achieving “significant increased international sales” in the global marketplace.
The iconic Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in is up for Minority Small Business of the Year. The honor highlights a minority-owned business for attaining “outstanding business achievement” and exemplifying the contributions made by minority-owned businesses in King County.
National Preparedness Month includes earthquake drill
August 29, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 29, 2011
September is National Preparedness Month, and Washington officials plan a statewide earthquake drill to help residents prepare for a natural disaster.
The statewide drop, cover and hold earthquake drill is 10:15 a.m. Sept. 21. The monthly test of the Emergency Alert System marks the start of the drill.
“Citizens, companies and government agencies should review their individual preparedness plans, contact information, and emergency kits and need to prepare themselves to be self-sufficient for a minimum of three days following an act of terrorism, natural or manmade disasters,” Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a special proclamation.
Use travel tools to reduce Labor Day traffic headaches
August 28, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 28, 2011
Labor Day is the busiest travel weekend of the year over Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90.
The state Department of Transportation is offering numerous travel information tools for motorists headed through Snoqualmie Pass and other high-traffic areas during the holiday weekend.
Travelers planning to hit state highways can find information on the DOT website about the times and places drivers can expect to experience Labor Day weekend delays, including U.S. 2, I-90, and Interstate 5 at the Canadian border, and between Olympia and Tacoma.
AAA estimates a decline in overall travel, including aircraft, roadway, trains, watercraft and multimodal travel. The organization predicts for almost 27.3 million people to travel the nation’s roadways during the holiday weekend, a slight increase from last year.
Construction prompts change to Central Park access
August 28, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 28, 2011
Motorists headed to Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands should prepare for changes Monday.
The road to access the park from Northeast Park Drive closes from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. as crews build a satellite storage yard for the municipal Parks & Recreation and Public Works Operations departments.
Motorists can instead access the park via 24th Avenue Northeast.
Police gain capability to retrieve license photos during stops
August 27, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. Aug. 27, 2011
Police used to rely on text descriptions to identify criminals, but now, due to upgraded computer capabilities, officers can retrieve driver’s license photos on in-car computers.
Through a $300,000 grant from the State, Regional and Federal Enterprise Retrieval System project and the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority, officers can quickly confirm a person’s identity by using a copy of a state Department of Licensing photo.
The program is expected to reach most law enforcement agencies in the state soon.
“This is about catching bad guys who are trying to deceive us by using fake names,” Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said in a statement. “We are now able to quickly determine the real identity of these people.”
Truck fire snarls Interstate 90 traffic through Issaquah
August 26, 2011
Washington State Patrol troopers respond to a tractor-trailer fire along Interstate 90 in Issaquah late Friday afternoon. By Tom Corrigan
UPDATED — 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26, 2011
Traffic slowed to a crawl along eastbound Interstate 90 late Friday afternoon as a tractor-trailer burned along the roadway.
State troopers reopened all lanes by 5:30 p.m., but motorists should still expect significant delays.
The truck driver managed to stop the vehicle on the road shoulder just west of the Front Street North exit before escaping from the rig at about 4 p.m.
Puget Sound Energy sends stinky bills as gas leak reminder
August 26, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 26, 2011
The utility bills reaching more than 1.5 million Puget Sound Energy customers through September stink.
Inside each envelope is a scratch-and-sniff pamphlet to help customers recognize the rotten-egg odor used to help identify and report natural gas leaks.
Scratch, and the pamphlet releases a sulfurous aroma, similar to eggs gone bad. PSE and other natural gas utilities add the scent, or odorant, mercaptan to colorless and odorless natural gas.
“We distribute this pamphlet to our customers and others in the region to make sure both natural gas users and the general public are familiar with the odor so they can recognize it and safely report if they suspect a natural gas leak around their homes or elsewhere,” Martha Monfried, PSE director of corporate communications, said in a statement.
Discover Pass sales generate almost $3 million for parks, lands
August 25, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 25, 2011
The state generated $2.9 million for state parks and other public recreation lands during the initial six weeks of Discover Pass sales, state agency chiefs announced Wednesday.
Officials started requiring the $30 annual pass or $10 day-use pass to park vehicles at recreation lands statewide July 1. The state started selling the passes in June.
Don Hoch, Washington State Parks director, said the revenue is crucial to state parks, because the agency must rely on user fees and donations to cover costs. In recent years, the Legislature slashed funding for agencies managing outdoor recreation lands and facilities.
“Public support has been essential as we begin this new program aimed at preserving public access to recreation lands,” he said in a statement. “It’s heartening that Washington citizens are willing to help keep their recreation lands open and operating. And we are optimistic that sales will continue to grow to help fund our state recreation lands.”
